The main difference between niacinamide vs salicylic acid is that salicylic acid exfoliates your skin while niacinamide doesn't. They also reduce oil production in slightly different ways with niacinamide controlling surface oiliness and salicylic acid reducing the amount of oil your skin produces.
Can niacinamide and salicylic acid be used together? The simple answer is yes. They complement each other well. Being oil soluble, salicylic acid can penetrate deeper into the skin layers, but it can also dehydrate and irritate skin.
Salicylic acid is the better option for treating acne, while niacinamide is great for fading scarring and hyperpigmentation.
Their most important difference is their mechanism of action. Also, salicylic acid doesn't help hydrate the skin whereas niacinamide does. Sure, salicylic acid may help your moisturiser work better but it can't hydrate the skin on its own. The truth is one isn't better than the other.
What goes first salicylic acid or niacinamide? It is considered the best idea to apply niacinamide before salicylic acid. This is because the humectant traits of niacinamide ensure the natural skin barrier contains the correct levels of water.
It's well-known for reducing acne by exfoliating the skin and keeping pores clear. You can find salicylic acid in a variety of over-the-counter (OTC) products. It's also available in prescription-strength formulas. Salicylic acid works best for mild acne (blackheads and whiteheads).
Salicylic acid
It's considered to be one of the best treatments for acne scars. You can add products with salicylic acid into your daily routine, or your skin care specialist may use it for less frequent chemical peels. It might take a few weeks to see a difference when using salicylic acid.
Here's what dermatologists want you to know about the trendy ingredient. Niacinamide helps the skin naturally produce more ceramides, or fat molecules, which helps keep the skin moist and plump, says Dr. Gonzalez. Since the skin becomes drier and less plump as we get older, niacinamide can be a boon to aging skin.
"If salicylic acid is an ingredient in your cleanser, it is fine to use it every day." However, if you are using an exfoliant that salicylic acid in the formula, Dr. Hu advises only using the product three times per week, to avoid over-exfoliating the skin and drying it out.
But overall, stick to using water-based products and serums together. AHAs and BHAs, such as glycolic, salicylic, and lactic acids should never be used with Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an acid, too, and is unstable, so the pH balance will be thrown off by layering these ingredients together and might as well be useless.
It's an ingredient found in a number of moisturizing skin-care products, as well as certain foods and supplements like multivitamins. Can you use niacinamide every day? Yes. In fact, you can use niacinamide-containing topical products in the morning and night because it's generally a gentle ingredient.
These two definitely address a certain skin type: the Niacinamide + Zinc is your best friend if you suffer from oily skin, and combined with the the Salicylic Acid it's perfect to treat blemish- and acne-prone skin.
Luckily for us, yes, niacinamide is perfectly safe to use with salicylic acid due to the fact it contains humectant properties. This allows the ingredient to absorb moisture from the surrounding atmosphere and other product formulas and locking them into the different layers of the skin.
Using both together will however can become too much for the skin and lead to irritation, rashes, redness, flakiness and all-round discomfort. Much like vitamin C and niacinamide, if you are wanting to use both separate the products completely and apply salicylic acid in the morning and retinol for the evening.
While it's safe to use salicylic acid and niacinamide together, Leung advises that it's best not to combine BHAs with other exfoliants or retinol. “Niacinamide is relatively non-irritating when paired with actives, but when we apply ingredients like AHA or BHAs, we need to give the skin the opportunity to use them.
Salicylic acid may be used morning and night. Because it's so gentle, it may also be applied as a midday spot treatment.
Salicylic acid is the preferred ingredient for treating blackheads and whiteheads because it breaks down the materials that clog pores: excess oil. dead skin cells.
It is safe to use products with salicylic acid every day, unless it is specified otherwise on the product usage guidelines or by your health care professional. CeraVe's SA Smoothing Cream and SA Smoothing Cleanser are suitable for daily use.
Anyone can use salicylic acid, but it's especially useful for people with oily or acne-prone skin. Here's what it can do: Penetrates deep into pores. Loosens dead skin cells.
Retinol has similar benefits, but it's stronger than niacinamide. It's also known to cause irritation, redness, and dry skin. Pairing the two ingredients is safe and can make retinol easier to use. Niacinamide helps hydrate the skin, which reduces the risk of irritation caused by retinol.
Note: Niacinamide is not a treatment for Acne. For persistent Acne-related conditions, we recommend consulting a Physician. A product that either makes an on-pack statement indicating that it does not contain synthetic fragrance, or carries an unqualified on-pack statement "no fragrance".
Acne treatments — especially those that contain active ingredients like benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid — are drying and a bit harsh on your skin. If you use too many treatments at the same time, your skin may become irritated, and you may actually suffer more breakouts as a result.
Dr. Shah notes that the concentration of ingredients in your acne product doesn't always affect how well they work, but it can. If you're having continued issues with your skin, it's possible the concentration of an ingredient like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide could be contributing.
Salicylic acid works to treat acne by unclogging blocked pores. It does this by breaking down the bonds between dead skin cells so that they can release from the pore more easily, and breaking down oils, such as sebum. Salicylic acid also decreases the skin's sebum production, leading to fewer breakouts.
If you have blackheads and whiteheads, salicylic acid alone should work well to clear out your pores. If your acne tends to be inflammatory, such as papules and pustules, opt for benzoyl peroxide to stop outbreaks at the source. For sensitive skin, start with salicylic acid, since it's less likely to cause irritation.